The present invention relates to an adjustable holder for use on a stroller. The stroller adjustable holder is used for holding a toy, baby bottle or other object in close proximity to the baby. The stroller adjustable holder provides hands free feeding or entertainment of an infant. More particularly, the present invention pertains to devices that are attached to strollers that allow the toy or baby bottle to remain in or near the baby""s hands or mouth without the continuous assistance of an attendant.
Most of the prior art devices are restricted in some direction of their movement and many are not designed to be attached to a baby stroller. Unfortunately, the prior art devices typically are designed to be positioned by an adult, but they are not flexible enough with minimal friction to move with the child""s mouth or hands.
Flexible arms are often used to position the bottle near the child. The flexible arms must be rigid enough to hold the weight of the bottle or toy, as such, they are often too rigid to allow a young baby to move the bottle or toy by themselves just by the strength of their own head or hard movement.
The prior art devices show that there is a need for a stroller adjustable holder that will hold varying objects in close proximity to a child. Additionally, when the object is a baby bottle the holder needs to be movable in conformance with the head movements of the baby.
An objective of the present invention, a stroller adjustable holder, is creating a device that will hold varying objects in close proximity to a child.
An additional objective of the stroller adjustable holder is the holding an adjustable baby bottle holder, which provides multiple directions of low resistance movement. The movement by the baby bottle holder in multiple spatial directions allows the bottle to remain in the baby""s mouth despite head movement by the baby. Directions of head movement side-to-side, up and down, or forward and backward can all be accommodated.
The stroller adjustable holder includes a frame member having a tip, a middle portion, a center axis, a first side and a second side. A first connection clip and a second connection clip are attached to the frame member. A gripping member is attached to the tip.
The first side and the second side are flexible and substantially symmetrical about the center axis. The first side and the second side are joined at the tip and radially extend out in substantially a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d shape. The first connection clip and the second connection clip attach to a baby stroller. The gripping member can take various forms that allows the gripping member to accept an object. The object can be a toy, baby bottle or any other object that nurtures, entertains or distracts the baby.
The first side and the second side vary a distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d from the center axis. In one version when the first side and the second side are in an unrestrained state the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d is about 0 at about the tip, xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d can gradually increase throughout the middle portion, then xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d can slightly decrease at about the first connection clip and the second connection clip. Alternate configurations of the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d are readily apparent. The flexibility of the first side and the second side allow the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d to be expanded by pulling on the first side and the second side.
A universal attachment can be attached to the tip. Alternately, an extension can be attached to the tip with the extension accepting the universal attachment. An arm member having an attachment end and a joint end attaches to the universal attachment. The gripping member is attached to the joint end of the arm member and the attachment end of the arm member is attached to the universal attachment. In this arrangement the first side and the second side are joined at the tip. Attached to the tip, in sequence, are the extension, universal attachment, arm member, and gripping member. The arm member can be rigid or a flexible arm member. Flexibility allows the flexible arm member and the gripping member to be movably positioned.
When the gripping member holds a toy the flexible arm member can be moved to position the toy near the baby""s hands. If the gripping member holds a baby bottle the flexible arm member can be moved to position the baby bottle closer to the baby""s mouth.
The first connection clip and the second connection clip can be snap on clips forming an open cylinder. The first connection clip and the second connection clip may take other configurations that adapt to connection to the parts of a baby stroller.
In an unrestrained position the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d is about 2 to 5 inches at about the first connection clip and at about the second connection clip. The first side and the second side are sufficiently flexible, such that the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d can be increased by pulling on the first side and the second side, such that the stroller adjustable holder will accommodate baby stroller handles of varying separation widths.
The gripping member can be an adjustable baby bottle holder. A first grasping member can hold a baby bottle and the flexible arm member can be secured at the attachment end to the tip or universal attachment.
The adjustable baby bottle holder can be attached to the flexible arm member having an attachment end and a joint end. A rotating member is rotatably attached to the joint end of the flexible arm. The rotating member has a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, a bottom bar, a top bar, a front end and a back end. An embodiment of the adjustable baby bottle holder is constructed with the bottom bar and top bar being substantially cylindrical in shape. The rotating member takes the form of the perimeter of a rectangle. The first grasping member is attached to the rotating member.
The rotating member rotates about the vertical axis providing a first direction of movement. A second direction of flexible movement is also available where the first grasping member rotates circumferentially about the horizontal axis of the rotating member. A third direction of movement is provided with the first grasping member being slidably attached to the bottom bar of the rotating member.
The first grasping member is designed to hold a baby bottle. The flexible arm can be secured at the attachment end, then moved and positioned such that the baby bottle is near the mouth of the baby. The baby bottle can move with the baby and remain in the baby""s mouth since the rotating member rotates about the vertical axis.
A second direction of flexible movement is also available with the first grasping member rotatably attached to the rotating member. The first grasping member rotates circumferentially about the horizontal axis of the rotating member. When the baby is sitting upright and rocks her head side to side, then this circumferential rotation keeps the bottle in contact with the baby""s mouth.
In one embodiment the bottom bar is a cylindrical shape. The first grasping member is slidably attached to the bottom bar of the rotating member by a force fit snap-on mechanism that allows movement back and forth between the back end and the front end of the rotating member. The sliding movement is along the horizontal axis. The force fit snap-on mechanism allows the first grasping member to perform the circumferential rotation, as well as the sliding movement.
The first grasping member has one or more fingers that are a semicircle shape about the same diameter as the bottle that the first grasping member is designed to hold. The fingers of the first grasping member clasp about the baby bottle. The snap-on mechanism is designed so that the first grasping member is removably attached to the rotating member. The first grasping member may be interchanged with a second grasping member that has fingers that are of differing diameter than the first grasping member, such that different size baby bottles can be held.
With the adjustable arm member the bottle can easily be tilted upward to prevent leaking of fluids from the nipple. This advantage applies when the baby is taking a short break from feeding so the bottle is temporarily not in use. The feature is also advantageous when the baby falls asleep while feeding where the bottle will remain generally in its established position and not lay nipple pointed downward prone to leaking.
The following drawings and description of the drawings provide greater specificity and detail of the elements of the invention.